Tent door construction

ABSTRACT

A tent door comprising an air inflatable U-tube frame with a fabric web spanning the U-tube. The air in the tube normally urges the door closed with the U-tube legs straight. When the door is open, the legs of the U-tube bend and compress the air slightly thus causing the door to close when released assisted by a stretched rubber strip in each leg adhesively secured to the inner walls and spanning the hinge line.

United States Patent 1191 Kozarsky 1451 July 10, 1973 1 TENT DOOR CONSTRUCTION [76] Inventor: Albert Kozarsky, 710 Hoskins Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada 22 Filed: Feb. 12, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 114,877

[52] US. Cl 1 35/14 D [51] Int. Cl. A451 1/08 [58] Field of Search. 135/14 D; 52/2; 49/34 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,387,412 6/1968 Kwake 135/14 D 2,955,606 10/1960 Walker 52/2 3,398,483 8/1968 Ringel et a] .1 49/34 Primary Examiner-Peter M. Caun Attorney-Kent & Ade

[57] ABSTRACT A tent door comprising an air inflatable U-tube frame with a fabric web spanning the U-tube. The air in the tube normally urges the door closed with the U-tube legs straight. When the door is open, the legs of the U- tube bend and compress the air slightly thus causing the door to close when released assisted by a stretched rubber strip in each leg adhesively secured to the inner walls and spanning the hinge line.

8 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures PAI-ENIEQJUL 1 0 I915 'INVENTORQ TENT DOOR CONSTRUCTION This invention relates to new and useful improvements in tent door constructions.

Conventional tent doors are either slide fastener held flaps or buttoned flaps, either of which has many disadvantages. The principle disadvantage is the difficulty in undoing and doing up the door flap particularly when one hand is occupied as, for example, when something is being carried.

Another circumstance under which difficulty is often experienced is when the tent is wet so that the canvas has shrunk slightly. This leads to difficulty in drawing the joining portions together.

The present device overcomes all of these disadvantages by providing a hinge type tent door having an inflated periphery wherein the air pressure normally urges the flap to the closed position.

Needless to say secondary closure may be necessary either inside or externally of the tent for sleeping purposes but under normal day time use, the present device is easily opened and snaps shut automatically.

Inasmuch as the construction is rubber and canvas, no harm can occur particularly to small children in the opening and'closing action.

The principle object and essence of the invention is therefore to provide a tent door construction having an inflatable periphery which normally urges the door to the closed position yet permits it to be opened for entry and exit purposes.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the character herewithin described in which an efficient closure is formed without the use of domed fasteners, ties, sliding fasteners or the like. v

A yet further object of the invention is to provide device of the character herewithin described which is easily secured to existing tent door openings.

A yet further object of the invention is to provide a device of the character herewithin described which is simple in construction, economical in manufacture, and otherwise well suited to the purpose for which it is designed.

With the consideration and inventive objects herein set forth in view, and such other or further purposes, advantages or novel features as may become apparent from consideration of this disclosure and specification, the present invention consists of the inventive concept which is comprised, embodied, embraced, or included in the method, process, construction, composition, ar-

rangement or combination of parts, or new use of any of the foregoing, herein exemplified in one or more specific embodiments of such concept, reference being had to the accompanying figures in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation of a part of a tent construction showing my door in the closed position.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view substantially along the line 2-2 of FIG. I but with the tent construction removed for clarity.

FIG. 3 is a vertical fragmentary section showing the door in the open position.

In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different figures.

Proceeding therefore to describethe invention in detail, reference character 10 illustrates a portion of one wall of the tent having a door opening 11 formed therein in the usual manner and preferably reinforced with a grommet l2around the periphery thereof.

My door construction is generally designated 13 and consists of a U-shaped tube of rubberized canvas or the like identified by the reference character 14. This U- shaped tube includes the upper and lower spaced and parallel horizontal legs 15 and 16 respectively, together with the vertical leg 17 extending between the outer ends of legs 15 and 16. The inner ends 18 of the legs 15 and 16 are sealed and an inflation valve 19 of conventional construction is placed in one of the legs 16. However, as the vertical leg andthe horizontal legs are all interconnected, the valve can be placed anywhere that is convenient. A canvas web 20 extends between the legs 15 and 16 from the ends 18 and covers the entire area enclosed by the Ushaped tube 14. FIG. 2 shows partially schematically, the formation of the door construction. A pair of fabric strips 21 and 22 are stitched together by the edges thereof as shown at 23, following the usual construction of fabric tubes. The web web 20 is sewn to one edge 23 as illustrated at 24 and this stitch line, of course, extends all around the inner edge of the tube construction 14.

When the door is-installed, the portion 20' of the web is cemented to the wall to one side of the door opening 1 I and a stitch line 25 extends through the web and the door panel parallel and inboard of one vertical edge 46 of the door opening as clearly shown thus forming a hinge line for the door.

When the tube 14 is air inflated through the valve 19,

the rigidity imparted thereto by the compressed air normally holds the door in the closed position shown in FIG. 1 covering the opening 1 1. However, this door can be opened along the hinge line 25 to the position shown in FIG. 1 3 and this opening action, of course, compresses the air within the tube 14 due to the bending of tion by cementing a strip of rubber or the like 28 within each of the legs 15 and 16. This length of rubber is stretched before it is adhesively secured to the tube wall so that it has a tendency to pull the door to the closed position at all times.

Furthermore I have found it desirable to insert a stiffening rod 27 within the vertical portion 17 of the tube. This stiffening rod can either be cemented internally ,of the tube or, alternatively, it can be secured to the outside of the tube and be used as an opening handle.

Although the web 20 is shown extending to the ends 18 of the legs, this is not necessary providing-it extends the closed position, said door including an air inflatable peripheral frame and a web spanning the major portion of said frame, said frame including a pair of horizontal spaced and parallel legs 'and a vertical leg connected between'the outer ends of said horizontal-legs, to form a continuous air passageway between all of said legs, said door being secured to the tent wall as aforesaid with the closed inner ends of the horizontal legs on one side of the hinge securement and outer ends of said horizontal legs and said vertical leg upon the other side thereof and a resilient elastic member adhesively secured in a stretched condition to each of said horizontal legs and extending across said hinge securement, to increase the closing action of said door.

2. The device according to claim 1 in which the portion of said web on the side of said hinge line towards said inner ends of said horizontal legs is adhesively secured to the tent wall.

3. The device according to claim 1 which includes a stiffening member cooperatively secured to said vertical leg.

4. The device according to claim 2 which includes a stiffening member cooperatively secured to said vertical leg.

5. In a flexible door for tents which includes a door opening in one wall thereof, the improvement that includes a door, said door comprising in combination a hollow closed ended, flexible, air inflatable U-tube having a pair of spaced and parallel horizontal legs and having a vertical leg connected between the outer ends.

of said horizontal legs, a web spanning the. major portion between said legs, said door being secured to the.

tent wall on one side of the door opening inboard of the inner ends of said legs, said securement including a vertical stitch line through said web and said wall adjacent said one side of said door opening; the portion of the web between said stitch line and extending towards the inner ends of said horizontal legs being adhesively secured to said tent wall, and means on one of said legs to inflate same with air under pressure.

6. The device according to claim 5 which includes a resilient eleastic member adhesively secured in a stretched condition to each of said horizontal legs and extending across said hinge securement, to increase the closing action of said door.

7. The device according to claim 5 which includes a stiffening member cooperatively secured to said vertical leg.

8. The device according to claim 6 which includes a stiffening member cooperatively secured to said verticalleg. 

1. In a tent door construction which includes a tent door opening formed in the wall of the tent; the improvement that comprises a door hingedly secured by one edge to the tent wall adjacent one side of the door opening and is adapted to cover said opening when in the closed position, said door including an air inflatable peripheral frame and a web spanning the major portion of said frame, said frame including a pair of horizontal spaced and parallel legs and a vertical leg connected between the outer ends of said horizontal legs, to form a continuous air passageway between all of said legs, said door being secured to the tent wall as aforesaid with the closed inner ends of the horizontal legs on one side of the hinge securement and outer ends of said horizontal legs and said vertical leg upon the other side thereof and a resilient elastic member adhesively secured in a stretched condition to each of said horizontal legs and extending across said hinge securement, to increase the closing action of said door.
 2. The device according to claim 1 in which the portion of said web on the side of said hinge line towarDs said inner ends of said horizontal legs is adhesively secured to the tent wall.
 3. The device according to claim 1 which includes a stiffening member cooperatively secured to said vertical leg.
 4. The device according to claim 2 which includes a stiffening member cooperatively secured to said vertical leg.
 5. In a flexible door for tents which includes a door opening in one wall thereof, the improvement that includes a door, said door comprising in combination a hollow closed ended, flexible, air inflatable U-tube having a pair of spaced and parallel horizontal legs and having a vertical leg connected between the outer ends of said horizontal legs, a web spanning the major portion between said legs, said door being secured to the tent wall on one side of the door opening inboard of the inner ends of said legs, said securement including a vertical stitch line through said web and said wall adjacent said one side of said door opening, the portion of the web between said stitch line and extending towards the inner ends of said horizontal legs being adhesively secured to said tent wall, and means on one of said legs to inflate same with air under pressure.
 6. The device according to claim 5 which includes a resilient eleastic member adhesively secured in a stretched condition to each of said horizontal legs and extending across said hinge securement, to increase the closing action of said door.
 7. The device according to claim 5 which includes a stiffening member cooperatively secured to said vertical leg.
 8. The device according to claim 6 which includes a stiffening member cooperatively secured to said vertical leg. 